Apparatus for raising and lowering loads.



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APP-ARATUSFOR RAISING AND LOWERING LOADS.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 17, 1906.

Will/11111 min/ess es.

i part side elevation ofthe preferred construe-- cylinders are arrai'niged passa es aand c; the

' which 1s longi- FEED sEATEs PATENT OEEIOE. -A

LOUIS EDOUARD ANTOINE DUELON, or sT. rETERsBURG,-RUSSLA.

. APPARATUS FOR saisine AND Lowname Loans.

I' Speciication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12 1908.

Application filed March 17, E06. Serial No. 306,624.

To all 'whom it may concern; Be it known that I, LOUIS EDOUARD AN# TOINEDUFLON, a citizen of Switzerland, and a resident of St. Petersburg, Russia,have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Apparatus for Raising an Lowering Loads; of which the following is a specificat1on.

This' invention relates to apparatus for raising' and lowering loads by the direct action of compressed air and is especially ap- 4 plicable for delivering ammunition on-board war-ships. 4

The invention consists in placing thelo'ad. to be raised at-the bottom of an elevator tubegor conduit on a piston whose'circumference fits closely the walls of the tube.

Compressed air is introduced -under-the piston which is raised with the load to the desired height. Automatic stoppageis deter; mined by the quantity of air and by an oriflee for neutrahzi the pressure in the tube. The load to bzlowered is placed on the piston at the top ofthe tube in whichit descends freely. The rapidity of the descent is regulated by an air outlet orifice at the foot of thetube. A

The linvention is hereinafter particularly described with reference to the accompanyi drawing .in which,

lgure 1 1s a part vertical section and a tion of apparatus. Fig. 13 is a detail, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section and plan showing a modified arrangement of the loading station. i i i 'Y n The elevator is com osed of an air tight tube or conduit B. Tliis tube may beina single iece or formed of several parts connected y air tight joints. Its position may be vertical orv inclined or it may ermitof change of direction by means o suitable connections. In practice, for the 'rapidity of service, the loading stationv D preferably comprises two cylinders a, a ofthe same section as the elevator tube B arranged in the form of a V-. When one of these `cylinders, is in operative position directly beneath the tube B the other cylinder is in position to receive a piston C supporting -a load-designated in the 'drawing as A. v

The cylinders aor a" are free to oscillate around a pivot d.- At the bases of these pivot d has two 'o ces, one

tudinal and receives the com ressed air from a reservoir G while thev ot 'er orifice e is radial and isdisposed in the prolongation of the axis ofthe tubeY B and offers a passage` to the compressedair at the moment Awhen one of the passages c, c of the cylinders a, a is co-axial with the tube B. l

A suitable coupling is provided to prevent leaka e of compressed a1r from between the cylin ers a or a and the tube B. The ends of said tube and c linders have fla es g, h, respectively, beve ed in the same .dlrection so that when either cylinder is moved under the tube the two bevels form a conical seat. A` sleeve on the tube has a conical end f which, w en the sleeve is lowered, rests on the two bevels .and forms an air-tight joint.

Asfshown in l, the raising and lowering of the sleeve is accomplished byscrew threads on the tube Aand sleeve and the latter is ro- .vided with a hand wheelf b l means of w 'Ach it is rotated: In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the sleeve is .adapted to slide on the tube and is raised and lowered by means of a lever 'i' pivoted on a fixed bracket i2 and connected tothe sleeve'by a rod 113. When the sleeve is lowered into the flanges it opens a norm y seated s ring controlled valve I in a controlling con uit ai which is connected `witlithe compressed'air reservoir G, said valve being connected with the sleeve by rods f3, 'f4 .Air will nowflow from condult through pipe 'u into cylinder u depressing a iston twhich is connected to a foot valve 1' y rod s. I The foot valve controls a port connecting conduits L, L which supply air from the reservoir G to the loading stationD. When the load in cylinder a has been vraised the sleeve is' then loosened and the station turned from'left toright loading1 until t e cylinder a/ takes the place of the cylinder a which latter will be inclined symmetrically to the position previously oecu-- ed by the cylinder a The sleeve f 1s now lbcked and th new load is ready .to be ralsed While the cy der a is ready to receive a plston'and its load.

In order to prevent the sleeve f from belng loosened during the ascent of the load there is rovided a locking device M, Flg.y 1,

which locks the sleeve f when the tube is'.l filled with air under pressure.. Said locking deviceconsists of a pipe j, communlcatlng with tube B, a small cylinder p', a piston nl and a iston rod andspring In Fig. 1 are shown .two u nlqoading stations ,E and E occupying two iloors but the destoppage.

is stopped is opened. As soon as the ascent ceases, the load is caught by a stop, which consists of afbell-crank lever pivoted on the outside ofthe tube with one arm m normally projecting through a slot i;n the tube into the path of the iston. AS the piston asses this pointsai arm is engaged and roc ed on 'its pivot out of the path ofthe piston. A As soon as the piston passes the arm will drop by gravity into its normal position and be held there against depression"by thepiston by means of the other arm m of the lever engaging the tube. f L

For the removal' of the load there is arranged in the Wall of the tube -B an opening, normally closed by. a door Z mounted on a hinge k having a -lug o formed thereon. When the-door 1s swung down into the position shown in dotted lines said lug engages the stem. of a valve K mounted inthe controlling conduit and closes'the latter.

VV-Vhen the door is closed and the load raiser is ready to operate anew the' valve 1* is opened by the pressure in the controlling conduit as above described.

According to the loads to be raised the unloadin station may lbe replaced. by a rece' tac e of any form Whatever, such as a funne or s outfor example, in which the load is inclose when it has abutted on the stop.

The two ends of cylinder u communicate by means of pipes u, 'w-and conduit :c with the air reservoir G; on one branch w is a cock y serving to regulate the quantity of air and passed into said branch w.r

The compressed-air from and ipev .v enters the topl of the cylinder 'u y its 4pressure on the piston t overcomes the tension of the spring and opens the foot lvalve 1'. Consequently the air enters the cylinder a of the'. loading station and raises the load. But through the cock y the air enters slowly upon -the'other sideof the piston t throughA the branch pipe w until its pressure together with the tension of the spring returnsthe piston t into its original position and closes the `foot valve r.

The time employed in closing the valve and in consequence the quantity of air reaching the loading station is regulated by means of the cock y in proportion to 'the'load and the height to whlch 1t is to be raised.

If the elevator tube comprises several unloading stations only` the orifice' b' a corresponding to the station where the load l gation of the elevator tube B.

the I conduit The valve Z in pipe z which communicates withv the lower end of cylinder u opens at the same time that the sleeve f is loosened and allows the air in the cylinder below the piston to escape.

If one ofthe devices K, I, Z is damaged the work may be done by hand by means of valve N and a hand-pump.

The reservoir G may operate one or several elevator tubes.4

The compressor H driven by an electric or steam motor (not shown) works continuously while the elevator is operating. It is provided with a manometer and a safety valve not shown.

When the elevator is employed for lowering the loads the tlbe or tubes Works Without a compressor or reservoir or automatic air delivery valve since the load in descending, com resses the air under the piston C. This air s owly esca es to the exterior in passing through the va ve N. Y

In the modified arrangement of the loading station shown in Fig. 2, four cylinders are employed the object being to increase the tor tubes with one loadingstation.

In the revolving arran ement of the loading stationshown in said ig. 2, the cylindersa", a?, are arranged concentrically in'parallel around the pivot b which ivot is also pierced b a longitudinal ori ce d2 and a radial or' ce e. y

The last mentioned oriice e is arran ed so as to corrwpond vwith the channel c o that one of the cylind'ers a2 which is in the prolonsieevefin Fig. 1,'-

A sleeve j similar to the serves to render air tight the junction of the tube and that one of the cylinders az which is in said prolongation.

l. In an apparatus for raising and lowering loads, the combination with an elevator conduit and a compressed air conduit, of a plurality of loading cylinders adapted to successively registergwith the elevator conduit 'each rovided with an air passage to connect the e evator and air conduit, means to vent 'the' elevator conduit ata predetermined point to neutralize the pressure therein, and means in the conduit to engage a load raised above the venting means.

2. In an apparatus for raising and lowering loads, ther combination with an elevator conduit and a compressed air conduit, of a plurality of pivoted loading members adapted to successively register with the elevator conduit and provided with air passages to connect the elevator and air conduits, a piston in lthe registering loading member of substantially the same diameter as the elevator conduit, means at elevator stations in thel elevator conduit to automatically neutralize the pressure therein, and means at said starapidity of the service orto work two elevations to automatically engage a load raised;

thereto.

3. In an apparatus for raising and lowering loads, the combination with an elevator conduit and a compressed air-conduit, of a plurality of loading cylinders pivoted below the elevator conduit and adapted to successively register with the lower end of the latter, each cylinder provided with a central airpassage to connect the conduits, a door in the elevator conduit, meanst'o vent thetube be-.

lin the elevator conduit, means to vent the latter below the door, a controlling conduit and a valve in the latter automatically operated by the door when the latter is opened.

5, In an apparatus for raising and lowering loads, the combination with an elevator conduit and a compressed air conduit, of a.

plurality of loading cylinders adapted to successively register with the elevator conduit and provided with a central air passage to connect the conduits, a coupling to connect the elevator conduit and loading cylinders, a controlling conduit and a valve in the latter operated by the movement of the coupling.

6. In an apparatus for raising and lowering loads,- the combination with an elevator conduit having a discharge opening and a compressed air conduit, of a plurality of loading cylinders-pivoted beneath the elevator conduit adapted to successively register with the llatter and provided With a central air passa e to connect the conduits, a coupling to tig tly connect the elevator conduit and loading cylinder, a controlling conduit, a valve in the latter o erated by the coupling, means to vent the e evator below the opening, a door normally, closing the latter, means on the door to support a piston, and a valve in the controlling conduit operated by the door.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence'of two subscribing witnesses.

I LOUIS EDOUARD ANTOINE DUFLON. Witnesses:

H. A. LovrAGUrRE,

G. PICHARD. 

